News you can use

Arden was recently the focus of the ‘Covering your Health’ segment that ran on KIMT news.  As you know, we try our best to bring awareness and transparency to type I diabetes and we were thrilled to have the chance to speak about Arden’s OmniPod insulin pump.  

I feel particularly lucky to have the chance to tell other diabetics how much the OmniPod has helped us.  If just one child finds the OmniPod and feels the relief that Arden has experienced then we have done a world of good.  

Please take a moment to watch the piece (above), if you have any question about the OmniPod please feel free to leave them in the comment section or send me an email.  I’ll do my best to answer your questions.

Proud to pod

Pick up today’s Trentonian to read all about Arden.  Great thanks to Sulaiman, the writer of the piece for all of the time and attention that he gave to our story.

The article is also online at this link.  If you like it, please take a moment to hit the FaceBook like button, ReTweet on Twitter or comment on the article at the Trentonian site, below at Arden’s Day - or do them all!

I can’t say enough great things about the Arden’s OmniPod, the freedom that it’s tubeless design gives to her or my experience with their customer service.  I don’t make statements like this on the site very often but, “If you or your child is in need of an insulin pump, you just must give the OmniPod a long look”.  You’ll be happy you did!

Lots of people are sharing the link on FaceBook today, thank you to all of you for being such wonderful supporters! Remember, it’s all about transparency and raising awareness.  Your support and help spreading the word makes Arden’s message that much stronger.  Have a great day!  One day when a cure is found, you will all have a place in saying, “I helped to cure type I diabetes”, I just know it...

If you’d like to make a tax deductible donation to Arden’s 2010 JDRF Walk, you can use this link 

http://walk.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=extranet.personalpage&confirmid=87699113

Arden is on TV!

Today Arden was interviewed about her type I and the OmniPod.  She spoke about how much she loves not being connected to a machine by a tube.  When they asked her what she liked least about about having diabetes she said, “I don’t like having high blood sugar because then I can’t eat”.

We think that it will be on TV in November for diabetes awareness month.  

Now I’m typing absolutely nothing so that they can tape me doing it. Sorry for all of the filler words. Now I’ll type whatever Arden says. “I don’t know, laughed, more laughing, I don’t know.  Now I am typing nothing again the camera guys says that we are almost finished with this part.

In a bit they will film her doing some yoga and hitting her softball.  I can’t wait for you all to see it.

UPDATE: The spot ran for the first time the other day.  Check it out here in our OmniPod blog.

Well meaning but wrong

Our children interact with people while they are at school and we as parents can’t control what they hear.  Most days I think of those interactions as moments that enrich my kid’s lives.  They get to hear points of view and thoughts from other people, other cultures and those interactions help to make them into who they are and will be. 

This week however, I’m not so thrilled.

Arden had photos taken at school yesterday and someone (an adult) told her not to worry if her OmniPod was visible because, in Arden’s words, “it can be photoshopped out so the picture will be pretty.”.  We are not pleased to hear that any overtones were made that indicate that Arden’s pod is in any way, something to be ashamed of.  Whether purposeful or inadvertent comments like that can and will lead to Arden having an unhealthy view of her insulin pump and of herself.

We teach Arden that her pod is a normal part of her life, we don’t care if people see it, stare at it or ask about it.  It is what it is and we will not hide, not for our comfort or for anyone else's.  

Arden is “pretty” and would be even if that pod was sticking to her forehead.  We addressed the comment with Arden and with the appropriate folks at the school and I’m confident that my message was heard.  We hold no ill will to the adult and I personally see this incident as just another teachable moment in our life with type I.  It is also a reminder of why good and clear communication between you and your child’s school is so important, this could have been a very uncomfortable moment but it wasn’t.  

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The following are archived comments from this post. You can post new comments below.

Scott

I just spoke with the photography company and they assured me that they won't retouch Arden's picture.

Friday, March 19, 2010 - 04:50 PM

Aunt Megs & Uncle Mike

I would like to correct your blog...Arden is not "pretty", but BEAUTIFUL in and out and we are so proud of her!

Love you Ards!

Monday, March 29, 2010 - 08:52 PM

Amy

did you ever recieve these pictures. I would like to see them.

Sunday, July 18, 2010 - 08:52 PM

Prep equals success

The other day Arden’s OmniPod experienced an unexpected error and shut down, which happens and is no big deal, unless...

Unless she is sitting on the school bus waiting to depart the building and isn’t old enough to read the error message on the PDM screen and understand it.  Then it might be a problem, right? 

Nope, not a problem and here is why.

Arden got out her cell phone (which she is allowed to carry because of our comprehensive 504 plan) and called me. She said that she thought that, “the pump had an error and shut off” and that she pushed the button to stop the beeping but wan’t sure what to do next.  I asked her to take her phone to the bus driver while I called the nurse’s office.  The nurse went directly to the bus port while I spoke to the driver.  

Now does the driver freak out? No, and why doesn’t she... because we have had multiple conversations about Arden and she understands the situation.  She is also comforted by the laminated instruction sheet that she carries on how to deal with high and low BGs, in short she is educated and mentally prepared.

The nurse called me from the bus port and we discuss if Arden will be okay without an insulin source for the ride home and we decide that she will. 

Then our driver scraped the bus route and brought Arden directly to our house, she was home in less then ten minutes. No one was upset, confused or shook, all because we prepared.

Now this wasn’t a real emergency, Arden was never in any danger but it did serve as a look at the way the people Arden counts on when she is at school will react if an emergency ever arises... and everyone was fantastic!

This pod error was kinda like a fire drill for us, I’m glad in a strange way that it happened.